No birds in the hand

Many observers assumed that last week’s withdrawal by the Colorado Division of Wildlife from a Yuma County water war would naturally settle the corollary element in the dispute, which is a threatened farmer boycott of the 2008 pheasant season. Not so fast.

You probably know at least part of the story, how DOW had entered a lawsuit to protect surface water rights maintaining its warmwater fish hatchery in Wray. The suit put the agency in conflict with farmers who irrigate from water wells and, not incidentally, control a good part of best pheasant habitat.

Farmers reacted angrily, threatening both to withdraw from DOW’s popular Walk-In Access Program and refuse individual hunter requests for permission to hunt. Farmers from neighboring counties joined in the boycott.

When DOW announced it would seek alternative water sources for its hatchery, some landowners—perhaps inspired by the continuing lease money they earn from the Walk-In Program—indicated a willingness to forgive and forget. But others made plain their ruffled feathers might require more than a little water to smooth.

A full 4 months remain before the start of the pheasant season, plenty of time for bad feeling to ripple out. Still, hunters should be aware that all might not be quite the way it was. Individual farmers may take very different attitudes about hunter access. A bit more reconnaissance may be in order.